Asian Hospital and Medical Center (AHMC), a proud member of the Metro Pacific Health network, is ushering in a new era in cancer care with the launch of the country’s first and only CyberKnife®. This state-of-the-art technology offers new hope to Filipino patients through noninvasive, highly targeted, and precise radiation treatment.
The launch of CyberKnife® was led by AHMC President and CEO Dr. Beaver Tamesis, Director of Institutes, Centers and Ancillary Services Dr. Corazon Ngelangel, Dr. Lenora Fernandez, Dr. Jaymee Fernandez, and Dr. Raphael Arada. It took place simultaneously at The Bellevue Manila and Asian Hospital and Medical Center, where stakeholders, executives, and invited media were introduced to the system and had the chance to see the machine up close.
According to the Global Cancer Observatory under the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Philippines recorded over 188,000 new cancer cases, with around 113,000 deaths. These figures show the urgent need for more effective and accessible treatment options. The introduction of CyberKnife® at AHMC answers that need by offering a more advanced and patient-friendly solution.
The CyberKnife® allows doctors to deliver high-dose radiation directly to tumors while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. This makes it ideal for patients who are not candidates for surgery. Dr. Lenora Fernandez, Head of Pulmonary Services, shared, “These are the complications you would avoid if you have a very targeted treatment with radiotherapy that will just be focused on the nodule or the lung or the mass without destroying the adjoining healthy tissues as well as the bones for the lungs.” She explained that CyberKnife® is especially valuable for those with pulmonary cancer who are older or have other health conditions. “Something we can offer for most of our patients… diagnosed to have (pulmonary) cancer.”
Dr. Jaymee Fernandez, Radiation Oncologist at the Asian Cancer Institute, described the experience of seeing the technology in action as eye-opening. “It was unheard of. And then suddenly, like I saw many patients in Japan having those tumors… big ones actually, hugging the brainstem and we would treat them. My gosh, that’s where I was amazed—because if you can zoom in, you can really see that the dose is targeted to the tumor and after a couple of millimeters, the dose falls off. Amazing.” She pointed out that this kind of precision allows for non-surgical treatments that are just as effective as surgery. “It is equivalent actually to having surgery but non-surgical… now we can provide non-invasive treatment to our patients that can offer very, very precise targeted ablative doses… with very minimal side effects because we want our cancer patients. We expect them to live longer at this setting in the country.”
AHMC Urologist Dr. Raphael Arada also highlighted the importance of early detection, especially for prostate cancer. “When you require less invasive treatments at an early stage, when you require less treatment sessions, that's when you will really appreciate that catching cancer early on will definitely give you a benefit in terms of treatment. But the earlier also you catch (prostate) cancer, the more options it gives you for treatment.”
On the topic of affordability, Dr. Tamesis addressed common concerns. “Yes, PhilHealth actually already covers this type of radiation therapy… so the patient's out-of-pocket is actually anywhere around 200,000. Kumpleto na yan. Buo na yan. Hindi 200,000 per session…So it's extremely affordable for many, many patients. And our belief is that if we price it correctly and improve access, the business follows.” He added that the decision to bring in CyberKnife® was always guided by what would benefit patients the most. “The first thing we do is always think about the patient's benefit…. The first hurdle we took was: is this something that our radiation oncologists feel is necessary for the benefit of our patients? When it was a resounding yes, everything else followed.” He continued, “The first point is always, what’s in the patient’s best interest? How can we be a partner in that particular endeavor?”
In closing, Dr. Tamesis shared what this milestone means for Philippine healthcare. “With this type of therapy, we finally said, why can't we catch up with the rest of the world? Bakit naiiwan ang Pilipino? The technology is mature. It's not yung bleeding edge where you don't know the side effects. Alam na natin. So predictable na. Anticipate na ng mga doktor natin. So they can anticipate and better plan for our patients. So I said, there's a value in not being necessarily the first ever in the world. (But) There is a value of coming in a little later as a late adopter. But hey, at the same time, hey, we finally got here. So that's what I think we all came to an agreement on. It's really high time that we made this technology available to the country and fortunately our board agree.”
The addition of CyberKnife® at Asian Hospital and Medical Center marks a significant step forward in cancer care not just for the hospital, but across the Metro Pacific Health network. It expands treatment options for patients and strengthens the group’s commitment to providing world-class, patient-centered care to more communities nationwide.
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Asian Hospital is a proud member of Metro Pacific Health (MPH), the largest group of private hospitals in the Philippines and a part of the MVP Group. The 27 hospitals that make up MPH include Makati Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Riverside Medical Center, and Davao Doctors Hospital, as well as 40 outpatient care centers, 6 cancer centers, 2 allied health colleges, a centralized laboratory, and several pharmacies across the country – all working together to deliver high-quality compassionate healthcare to Filipinos.
For more information about Metro Pacific Health, visit our website at www.metropacifichealth.com
